7+ Encourage Antonyms with Meaning and Examples

The antonyms of encouragement are discouraged, disheartened, daunted and depressed. According to the standard definition, encouragement is defined as helping someone feel confident and able to do something, or advising someone to do something.

7+ Opposites of Encourage

Let’s take a look at the following opposites of encouragement to broaden our understanding of the word.

• Discourage
• Dishearten
• Uninspire
• Demoralise
• Depress
• Hold Back
• Dissuade
• Weaken 
• Deject

Origin of Word Encourage

The term encourage originated from early 15c., from Old French encoragier “make strong, hearten,” 

                               En + Coragier

                    Make, put in  +  courage , heart

Meaning Of Encourage 

The word encourage is a transitive verb that can be understood in three parts:

1. To inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence

For example: His coach encouraged him throughout his match.

    2.  To stimulate by assistance, approval

For example: One of the key duties of a teacher is to encourage students.

       3. To promote, advance, or foster

For example: Unemployment often encourages crime.

Antonyms of Encourage Examples and Usage

The word encourage is often objective and may vary depending on the context and perspective of the speaker.

Let’s take a look at the following examples of using the antonyms of encourage in a sentence:

Discourage     Rohan’s criticism had discouraged him.

Disheartened  I am disheartened by their hostile reaction.

Uninspire        Rita gave an uninspiring performance.

Demoralized    The team got demoralized after the defeat.

Depress           The rainy days always depress my mood.

Hold Back         I couldn’t hold back my anger any longer.

Dissuade           Rita tried her best to dissuade her from getting married.

Weaken              Tuberculosis weakens the immune system.

Deject                 Sunidhi picked up an injury and looked totally dejected.

Antonyms of Encourage Quiz 

1. Pick the appropriate word that exactly matches the opposite of encourage.

• Inspire
• Rally 
• Cheer 
• Dispirit

Answer Dispirit

2. Select the correct antonym for the word encourage.

a) discourage

(b) disapprove

(c) warn

(d) dampen

Answer  Discourage

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This was all about the antonym of “Encourage” meaning and examples. Hope you understood the concept where it’s used. For more such blogs, follow Leverage Edu.